Bonjour, tout le monde! What's your favorite French mealtime habit? I'd love to hear if you've found French eating habits relatable, something to strive for, unusual, a bit rigid, or maybe a mix of all of the above. ;-) Thanks so much for watching!!
Since having my hips replaced I have been living with my sister. I've been preparing meals & serving her & then when I go to sit down she has already gulped down the entire meal, altho we do eat more sparingly as we are older now. I say to her, wait, I am just sitting now, how can we sit and chat & her response is typical usa, I'm done, going on to do what I want, thanks for dinner... Breaks my
Bonjour Diane, One thing you don't mention in French culinary culture is that talking about cooking and food is one of the favorite topics of conversation among the French. I cook every day and my younger colleagues regularly ask me for advice on how to prepare a particular recipe.
Like most children, I accepted the norms of my parents. I had no clue that our customs were different than others in the country. In retrospect, I see that our french heritage placed an added emphasis on food. Some eat to live: we live to eat!
As a high schooler, I went to France one summer for six weeks. I stayed with a family in Le Havre during part of the time. The father came home from work for lunch each day, and the family enjoyed long lunches together. I learned to slow down my eating during those extended meals. To this day, usually I am the last person at the table to finish my plate.
During WWII just after the Invasion of Normandy, I was stationed between Carentan and Isigny. We had French civilian volunteers helping us pile up our Signal Corps supplies; telephone poles; cross arms; insulators and miles and miles of telephone wire. One of these volunteers invited me - a Pfc, to Sunday family dinner in Carentan. When I arrived, the whole extended family was gathered around a very large table. First came a glass of champagne. Then after several refills, we sat down and had Hors deouvres; then a salad, soup, the main course, a plateau des Fromages with another baguette, dessert, coffee with cognac. All during the dinner one excellent bottle of wine after another crossed the table. Around 5 PM lunch ended. I went out on the main street trying to hitch a ride back to where our Company was located, but instead got picked up by the MPs, and was driven back and handed over to the Commanding Office. I lost my Pfc stripe. It was a very small price to pay for such a marvelous convivial luncheon.
You are talking about the France of 77 years ago, you must be one of the few veterans still alive. This meal strongly marked you to have such a precise memory of it.
@@christianc9894 Christian, you are right on target. At this point I'm 101 years old. My French volunteers also introduced me to Camembert, Brie, and Calvados. They also supplied me with steaks while the rest of the Company were eating cold C-Rations and K-Rations. Vive la France!
You forgot the most important point: we speak about food all day long! 😁 Even when we eat, we talk about other meals we ate recently or will eat soon. I've never seen this elsewhere.
Bonjour. I am an American that has lived overseas for over thirty years and live in Brazil. In Brazil like in France we do not eat dinner, because we DINE. The one thing that drives me crazy when I go the states is when the server grabs my apparently empty plate and says “let me get that out of your way”. I have actually almost screamed “It is NOT in my way”. Another thing is that in Brazil a server will almost never take the gentleman’s plate away if the woman is still eating. This makes it look like the guy at too fast or the woman is eating too much. Merci bonne fêtes
Excellent point about "getting the plate out of the way" - the other phrase that shocked me in the US was "are you still working on that?": No, am not working on it, I am enjoying it :)
In defense of American waitresses and waiters, American restaurants do charge lower prices than French restaurants and have a lower profit margin. Therefore American restaurants rely on a higher turnover in tables and the waitstaff do kinda rush you along. (or are being more efficient.) Ultimately you can stay at the tables in American restaurants as long as you want, though you might get some mean stares from your server.
I can’t stand when servers say “Are you still working on that?” I’m usually really nice to servers-their jobs are hard enough-but when I hear that, I say “Um, I don’t ‘work on’ my food.”
Very nice article. After a year in Paris, I learned how to cook and eat. Nobody does either better than the French. Thirty years after my time in France, when, what and how long I enjoy my meals has not changed. As you say; they really have gotten this right.
@@maurizioboggian6033 of course an Italian guy come on this channel to write it 😂 It's about FRENCH food no Italian. You must go on a video about Italian food you'll be happy ;)
Thanks Diane, enjoy your vacation! So true your observations. The first time my wife and I dined out in France, we wondered why the server did not collect our plates when done. Oh, we realized. Sit back and relax, digest. After a while we were offered dessert etc. 90 minutes for dinner! We loved it.
I am French. If a waiter rushes to take back your empty plates, we feel that he wants you to leave the place and make room for the next customer. (Pushing things that way is perceived as rough and impolite down here , even at the end of the normal order taking hours) Usually, they want you to stay long and order some more. If the restaurant isn't full, keeping customers inside is also supposed to attract others. One word prevails, relax and take your time.
Spent a week in Paris, 5 yrs ago. I still remember that week, 5 yrs later, still living “the lifestyle “ of Europe. Home cooking, crystal and silver (plate) ware. Wine, often and meals lasting as long as needed. My husband lives living this way too. Although we’ve only been married 3 months.
as a french living abroad, I would tend to say that french eating habit is about taking a break to enjoy the food. I am much more productive after a break, and a meal on the corner of my desk is not a break. do what you are doing right, this applies also to lunch breaks
I am an American who has visited France several times over my lifetime, and did notice that French food and cooking is by far much better/higher quality than American food in general. Americans suffer from obesity and diabetes much more than in France due to low quality food eaten. In France everything seems to be the freshest most natural ingredients. Every single meal I‘ve had in France was absolutely delicious, as the French really value high quality food, and Making it delicious!❤️
What I find very interesting about this is that my grandparents who were born in the late 19th C and lived in a small town in a rural area (United States) followed similar patterns. My grandfather closed up shop and went home to the main meal at midday and then had a rest before returning for the afternoon and early evening to work. No fast food, all food cooked at home (as strict old fashioned Protestants they did not, however, drink alcohol). Fruit for dessert most days. Fresh local foods, because there weren't other kinds, mostly, and everyone had a vegetable garden and a few fruit trees (and nut trees often, too).
I live what you said about mealtimes. We in America do rush through meals and that is sad. We are supposed to relax and unwind during meals and appreciate our families and friends. What a perfect time to do it.
Bon jour Diane: Another point you can make is that French Restaurant meals do not consist of huge mounds of food, as in America - many times you get enough for two good meals. Why? to justify the price of the meal...? In a French restaurant, your table is yours for the evening, the restaurant is not trying to serve three complete meals between 5 PM and 9 PM as do American restaurants. The chef that prepares your meal needs time to cook it properly. That means waiting patiently for the next course to arrive. When everything on your plate is fresh, and a pointe wasn't it worth the waiting time to eat something that was excellently prepared? The French appreciate the effort and the expertise that went into preparing the meal. At one of our Le Vesinet local restaurants, the Chef would put on clean whites, while everyone was enjoying his desserts and an espresso and then serve everyone at each table a small gout de Eau de Vie as a Thank-You. It is civilize and with a very personal touch of sa voi faire Ciao
I just had a meal with my friend today (we're all students), we enter the restaurant at 13h40 and we ate an average of 2 courses (the restaurant was not that expensive so we could do this for less than 15 euros). We finished around 15h30 and we left the restaurant at 16h, except if you're in a busy touristic area, the owners usually don't mind if you stay longer after eating. A standard meal with friends is around two hours, when I'm alone, i frequently spend more than half an hour eating and a family meal at events or birthdays can be 4 hours long (with up to 6 courses). I even sometimes made family meals where(except the house keeper who cooks), we finished the lunch and immediately started the dinner. It seems absurd but you have to realize that a french people talking about a meal isn't talking about eating but sitting at a table. We didn't eat for ate hours but we were around the table for 9/10 hours straight with something to eat in front of us.
I grew up in the USA. But my family immigrated from a former French colony. We always had dinner for 10 on the table with assigned seats and discussions about current events. I thought it was normal until I was getting my PhD and started meeting people who often were children of divorce or latchkey kids. They thought it was remarkable. I'm not sure how much of this was a French habit, though. I do think that it is important to have family meals every day. We did fend for ourselves at breakfast, because with such a huge age range, people roused themselves for the day at different hours. Lunch was school. And I was so appalled by the eating habits of my fellow kids, I often just spent time in the library. My parents were very firm about eating etiquette. And kids in a cafeteria are disgusting.
My wife and I are American with Italian ancestry and we always take meals seriously and have done so all our lives. Our children, having been raised that way , sadly do not unless they come for dinner at our home , then they insist on it. White table cloth and napkins , good china and glassware and always in the formal dining room. That is the way we enjoy meals but it isn't for everyone nor should it be, for us it's a pleasure not a chor.
Thanks for this nice video and I agree with you. As a french living in the US, I really appreciate the meals in France. I sadly have to say that my family diner are not as nice. My kids and my husband gulp their food fast like it's a race, it's not relaxing or enjoyable. I am always the last one sitting at the table. I've been reminding them to sit down and to take their time for many years, it's hopeless! They don't even appreciate a full meal with aperitif, starter, main course, cheese plate, green lettuce and dessert or fruit or yogurt. Big culture difference. Enjoy your French meals Diane et bon appetit 🍽
Thank you Diane! I’m a fast eater and need to slow down and learn to enjoy every mouthful instead of wolfing it down! Remembering delicious leisurely lunches and dinner in France is the way I’m going to do! Love this channel!
My Uncle lives in Andorra and, when visiting him, Lunch was the biggest meal and event of the day. He was retired and we would go to a restaurant 6/7 days per week. He had a roster of 8-10 restaurants that all knew who he was when he showed up. I found that the best way to organize meals. Having the heaviest at lunch. Then more of a cheese course or "pick-nick" type supper. And of course the first thing he did every day is go to town to get the newspaper and baguette and/or other breads for breakfast and supper. I’ve tried to continue to live that life style but I’m finding it difficult still to not think of lunch as a sandwich and supper as a hot meal ...
It's been noted (ad nauseum) that I eat too fast when I'm in France. Well, yes. I have an hour for lunch and that includes getting to/from office/resto and my work doesn't have a traditional 'lunch hour'. It's whatever/whenever/grab who you can. So 'fast' has been trained into me. Also, I find French meals more flavourful because the ingredients tend to be fresher and simpler but higher quality. Even if it's 'processed'. You can also (usually) find good local traiteur êpicure-like shops for pre-made food if you're too lazy to make your evening meals (
So glad to hear the French have chosen to preserve family time over retail time on Sunday. I really appreciated while working in Munich having access to a small kitchen to prepare my own dinner at noon time. We were not near restaurants, but for those who were employees had sufficient lunch time to enjoy a full noon dinner. Light meals were always taken in the early evening after work. Oh, yes, and the daily habit was to stop at a grocery store or supermarket to buy your ingredients fresh. This was one of my secrets to keeping weight off by eating my big meal while still active during the day.
Years ago I lived very briefly in France. that's where i learned how good every dy food could taste. The American food movement hadn't taken off yet. Sadly due to our Puritain heritage I think too many Americans have guilt feeling about enjoying food or eating We are also so inundated with diet culture in the US. At one time though we did get hour lunches. I briefly worked in a public school in California and was appalled to witness how food had deteriorated in school cafeterias. This is a good video and yes of course there re exceptions.
We didn’t have space for a table in our apartment in Rennes. In Gensac we have a lovely big table and really enjoy dinners at a table. I have always been a slow eater and am usually the last one to finish! I saw a lunch menu at a local school and the meals are amazing! They provide a wide variety of food and they also have a cheese course!
I think it’s great that school children get a really good meal, including the cheese course!, each day. One habit I picked up from the French, although I live in the US, is having your green salad at the end of the meal you prepare yourself. And fresh red lettuce with shallots and homemade vinaigrette is to die for! Although I try, I still can’t make that as good as I have tasted it in France. Good video Diane!
Great topic. Growing up we had to be home for dinner and that was supported by schools and community in general. To me it’s when stores opened 7 days a week and so many school practices/events began before/after school. That contributed to family meals, including breakfast falling by the wayside. Thanks for sharing your insight and I hope you and the husband enjoy the trip. 🌻🧡
Thank you and glad you liked the topic. ;-) I hope to do more content on food when I'm able to get out and about. Maybe I'll get some footage on our trip and see what I can learn about local specialties. Keep an eye on the channel!
Diane, I enjoy and appreciate your comments. I think that sitting down for a meal, yes! sitting unhurried and conversing with people helps keep hearts and minds open to each other, to each other's feelings and opinions. It helps nurture care and respect for one another. If you're gulping your fast food down in the car, you're focus is not on listening to each other; it's on traffic, the next stop, whatever. When you will spend an hour across the table from people, you focus more on them and a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere-- good for digestion and good for relationships. Salut!
Actually, most countries take meal time more seriously. U.S.A. is the exception that's probably why we have more problems related to our digestive system and nutrition. Table manners and communication among family members also deteriorated since we don't share time on the table anymore.
I grow up sitting on the table early in the morning we never packed our breakfast or lunch, breakfast was always with everyone,lunch at school with everyone and dinner time too. We did not have a restaurant" sortie"often but occasionally and not for birthdays, the restaurant culture is more for the people who live alone or a couple,once u have children "les sortie" are rare. Family time is important and i dont remember ever havinv any activity after dinner its usually before dinner and mostly weekend or a free afternoon,we did not have activities on a daily basis. Our time was mostly at home or with friends .i hated the weekend since many times it was going to see relatives or just chiling at home, but sometimes my dad took us on a picnic or just driving ,i loved the villages a lot. After a hard day at work i do understand why my parents enjoyed staying at home😅
France definitely changed how I treat my mealtime even if I'm alone. After several years of time in France, I would never trade the French tradition of relaxing with food during a meal that is simply the best. Thank you, Dianne for this video.
as a french, i don't have time every day to eat slow food. sometimes, i'm in an hurry, i eat sandwiches, or go to fast food, or eat prepared meal. but i know that should not be an habit, and try to keep it as casual as possible. And more over, if i've to eat hamburger or junk food at a lunch time, i try to balance my all day food by eat better on diner, taking in account what i've eaten in the day. If it's not possible the same days, i try the next one, but i try not to eat bad food too often. And i try to vary the dishes, not to eat the same, and not big quantities.
I know since French culinary school, I have opted for more of the french cooking techniques with my cooking. A lot of times I will make something simple to eat. And I eat many smaller meals spread out throughout the day versus the 3 meals a day routine we Americans are brought up on. Also, I've found that because I had surgery last year in removing an ovary, I have had to slow down extra big-time nowadays. Not because of the scar or the healing, but I think it's because it hormonally changed me. I had less energy and the hospitals were with the 3 meals a day routine that I wasn't on. If you tell your doctor you eat between 5-8 meals a day, they sort of freak out. But if you explain you live on smaller meals it's easier for them to accept. I think because of the pandemic everyone has had time to slow down and it's been harder on most than others. For us, it's slower than ever now. And I rather enjoy it. I actually get to enjoy my cup of tea and not feel like I have to hurry it along. Even doing my studies online seems calmer and less stressful. Thank you for sharing. Take care.
On est très stressé 😬 même les français disent en général que les américains mènent une vie cool, sans routine et sans stresse contrairement à nous, les français. Et si tu disais ça parce qu’on prend du temps pour manger c’est que la nourriture est SACRÉE ici !! 😂😂 PS : chez ma mamie on mange de 12h à 17h 😂😭 mais ça c est parce qu’on parle beaucoup
@@Melanie-sd8bq We rush to do everything and don't slow down to enjoy anything. I can't tell you the last time that I took a lunch away from my desk. It's been over 5 years probably. We eat and work. We work nights, weekends and holidays. I wish we could adopt some European behaviors. Food is sacred in France! I wish I could move there.
Eating slowly is healthy for the body. Rush eating will just make you sick and get acid reflux. 😁 I have that habit before when I used to work in the office.
I am French, and I should say thank you for all the nice comments but think about it, cooking from scratch is what most the people do around the world, no?
Oh yes, I rarely eat out in Florida but we certainly do feel rushed out unless you like to eat in off times or eat in those buffets with crap on a plate.
It's true that not all French people are master chefs. But that's true of any country. But what is true is that in France you find excellent produce and of course brilliant cheese and baked goods. However, I find it more gratifying to have a home cooked meal prepared by Italians, Spaniards, Mexicans or North Africans because they tend to cook from scratch. At many French dinner parties, I find that they assemble dishes, rather than cooking them. Foie gras comes out of a jar, le canard confit comes out of a jar and is then finished off in the oven, followed by cheese and a lovely cake from the patisserie next door. The food is typically quite good including the wine. But there's not much cooking involved. Compare that to a meal with a Mexican family. Homemade tortillas, freshly made guacamole and salsas, the taco meat mix slowly simmering. And to be fair, many Americans do incredible BBQ. Love your channel.
Hi Diane. Im binge watching your content especially episodes I’ve missed. I’m a slow eater and enjoy savoring the food and drink. But it’s frustrating when I have a meal with a friend who woofs down his meal. Im on soup and he’s on plat principal. So I appreciate your honesty and congratulate you on adapting to the French way. And je déteste in the US being asked if I’m still “working on that”. You are the best.
Cruising is a great way to enjoy your food, with the huge variety and quality available. If you like long evening meals, Costa Cruises - an Italian line - is for you. Their multi-course meals can take two or three hours.
I’m new to your channel and really enjoying it, you’re adorable, and as a Francophile it’s fun to get doses of Frenchness through an American lens! Have a great vacation!!!! (P.S. I’m sure I could compete with you in a speed eating contest - awful habit and I am continually trying to break it!! My BFF, who’s the same way with eating too fast, says it’s a product of us growing up low-to-middle class with siblings - you gotta eat quick if you want seconds!) (which is a whole other bad habit, lol) xoxo
School lunch break is 2 hours ( from 12am to 2 pm ), but if you have extra classes you can have just 1 hour ( which is a bit short ) because you start at 1 pm.
When you eat slowly, your stomach has time to register when it's full. I call it the trigger. When you eat too quickly, you bypass the trigger and by the time the trigger catches up, you've uncomfortably eaten more than you should have. Don't eat like you're struggling to get it over with. (Although I do understand that about some fast food restaurants: just get it down the throat as soon as possible and try not to think about it.)
Nutrition doctors say that the best meal habits should be to have breakfast like a king, lunch like a farmer and dinner like a servant (ie= very lite). But modern life makes that very hard to follow, mostly for urban ppl and workers... The most important french habit to keep seems to eat together in the evening, not too late, not too much. Before my retirement, I had the opportunity to teach in the US, living in a family (polish and czech origin) with 4 children (from 8 to 18). All the members ate separately for lunch (homemade lunchbox, with organic meat sandwiches, greens and fruits !) but the complete family sat around the table at 19:00, without TV, radio, or cellphones ! That french inspired habit was an absolute treat (so rare in the US!), and the kids were NOT allowed to pick food from the fridge, after school... May we do the same thing, as long as possible...
In a french dinner, as french people you've all become for now, you have to talk about the meal and congratulate the cooker if this one is present. It is not an option, but moreover you have to make this compliment sincerely. If the food is not so good, as industrial food quickly prepared, just don't say nothing about it, but if you forget to congratulate your host, it would be interpreted as you had not appreciate the meal. " C'est très bon", "C'est délicieux", "c'est vraiment délicieux", "C'est absolument exquis", "C'est divin"... We have more and more sentences to express this in the appropriate mode. On the other hand, never say "Bon appétit" It's a bit harsh because we are not supposed to be around the table because we are that hungry for dinner, but because we love exchange with others and spend time with them. However If someone say "Bon appétit", just answer "merci", taste the meal and congratulate the cooker.
love your channel ... and Paris, and Meschers-sur-Girond, and Nice, and Pont du Gard, Annecy and Perpignan and Auch, and the marché a Clingancourt, and les radis, les vins, les fromages, les endives, les saucissons, les baguettes, etc, etc and the streets and the winding roads in the Gers, the waiters, the expats, the cafes... et l'argot, et... les gens!
Bonjour. I have family in France. The Sunday Dinner at 8 with the family is the best! 5 courses. I thought I was going to explode the first time I dined with them. I am American so I was served American servings. Since then I tell them "No I am in France I am French! Small portions!" We still laugh about it.
So happy to find this channel I’ve spent some time in the south of France, and something I’ve not been able to find online anywhere and it’s the oil they put on their pizza, usually a bottle on each table with a mix of oil and herbs, can you suggest where I may find either that or the recipe. The limoncello traditionally served in many restaurants following the meal.
Je suis d’adorde avec vous. I am an American who has lived outside of the USA since 1974 and presently live in Brazil. In Brazil we do not eat a meal, we DINE. I hate it when I am in an American restaurant and the server says “Let me get that out your way (débarasser). I say IT IS NOT IN MY WAY. In Brazil a server should never take the man’s empty plate away if the women is still eating. This makes it look like either the man wolfed down his food too quickly or that the woman is eating too much. I would only let the table to be cleared if there was a queue of people waiting for a table although you are not required to do so, but it is a nice gesture. Merci A+
It seems to me that what makes the difference is that the salary of waiters in the US is mainly tips. So the more customers they get, the more money they make. In France this is not the case. The salary is fixed and the tip is optional. So the waiters are not expeditious. You can take your time, no one will put pressure on you to clear the table.
Je suis d'accord avec vous ! No rush in French restaurants... People are happy of their lunch/dinner and nice time ! Agree with Smoker Joe : ..."The difference is that the salary of waiters in the US is mainly tips".
Oh man....have to admit I was eating dinner while watching this. 😄😬But I also live alone and it's not much fun to me to eat alone in silence with nothing to engage me. But, I do really enjoy doing a bigger meal in the middle of the day, as in, a real dish and not just a sandwich, and a lighter dinner. It definitely makes me feel more energized throughout the day and less heavy at night.
I live alone too and make it point to eat my meals while watching a cooking, travel or other non stressful tv show. It keeps me company and helps to lengthen the time spent consuming the meal.
labor law abides for a minimum 45 min lunch break that should not be eaten at workpost (desk or whatever). It's a labor and public health rule, as bad and too fast meals are critical to health and unstopped work is bad for overall health also.
One key difference is container : styrofoam and cardboard actually changes the taste of food, and not for the better. Also, the way food looks when served in a plate instead of dumped in a styrofoam container also changes your perception of its taste. Even if I buy Domino’s pizza, I’ll never eat it out of the container even if it is more « convenient ». Containers do matter.
when a woman (or sometimes a man) goes to the effort to make a good meal that is made out of love for the people who are eating it, it is a matter of respect that you pay attention to their work and are graateful for their efforts on your behalf , and focus on the meal and the people there eating it. - yes? This is a bonding in love that is essential for a wholesome family life. - the food also needs to be appreciated, as it is returning to source thru the people eating it. For this reason, a meal is a celebration and a special time, that will naturally be respected and appreciated by people who are aware of the reality of the ways of life. - this is why people will be quiet for a moment or pray before they eat. (I also think that if a woman prepares a meal, then the man should do the dishes to balance out the work load). :)
I’m originally from India and live in the United States for the past 22 years. Hard to believe. It’s great to actually enjoy the food that we eat. I think they’re even used to be a pretty big food culture in the United States. You can see this when you read classic books or pioneer books. Everyone has different table banners in different ways to eat for instance my family and I eat with my fingers when we’re at home of course will use spoons and forks for things that require it like noodles or soup. And other cultures eat with chopsticks. Others use flatware. The point is that we all need to get back to enjoying our food. That’s where good health comes from. If we can’t appreciate where our food comes from and the subtle flavors of every ingredient and if we can’t talk about her food, then what are we doing ?
I love eating. And I love to cook. I like to make savory or sweet pies by making the dough myself of course (puff pastry or short crust). I make all kinds of rice dishes. And as a Breton, crêpes and galettes were already in my competence before I was 10 years old. Thanks Mom. On the other hand, never wine at the table for me. I hate it.
Just to be clear with the cantine, the good food really REALLY depends on the place. In primary school, the food was nice. But when you arrive to Collège, you start to notice the food is less nice ? There are certain things you know tou shouldn't take AT ALL And in my high school, i even skipped meals and just eat some weird bread. The only thing they could cooked correctly was fries, whenever there was some pasta, you had a pool of oil with it and one day I even heard the guy serving the food say "yeah I wouldn't eat that.." But the desserts were awesome lmao oh and the meal time was from 11:30 (for those with no class from 11 to 12) to 13:30, but if you arrived more at 13:30, there might not be much food anymore. Once we had to wait for the cook to make us something real quick so that we could actually eat. When we reported it, we were told "the students choose to not eat the given food" Now I'm in university with the 1€ meals and it's so nice to not have more oil than food anymore Oh and since there is a lot of people who have to eat BEFORE the classes start again, especially in collège and highschool, there would always be someone rushing us because others had to eat. The worst I had was this girl during covid saying her service ended at 13:30 and that we needed to hurry and go when we had just say down and that it was already 13:40, we took 20min to eat we arrived in class at 14:10 (had to go get a late little paper) so we were 30min late lmao
I am a nurse in the states. French eating habits sound interesting. I will be dreaming about them next time I am working and do not have time so I am eating my sandwich at the desk, bite by bite in between patients.
What I enjoyed most living in Germany was rating my main meal at midday and a “quick bite” in the evening. Near the university there was the reasonably priced Mensa fir students only. Later the company I worked for had a small kitchen where I could cook my lunch every day. I found the American fast food places an embarrassment and only ate there once for time.
After dinner, have a conversation with your family, perhaps a continuation of a dinner topic. Read a story to your kids (you sit in your favourite Queen Anne wingback while the children sit in a semicircle on the floor, staring up at you in wide-eyed wonder, hanging on your every word). Sit outside and enjoy the sounds of nature while you savor a good cigar. See the delicate plumes of smoke dance and spread in the subtle breeze. Have a sip of brandy. Watch a movie cuddled with your spouse. She'll squeeze you in the scary parts. And you'll be there for her. Life is about experiences. Don't rush it.
One French dining issue I simply cannot abide is the refusal of some chefs here to cook steak and dark meets Well Done (Bien Cuit). I simply cannot and will not eat underdone meat, or indeed other foods not thoroughly cooked, so no al denté either for me. I have tried to eat a rare steak, and rare roast beef, in the past and was physically sick soon afterwards and it came back sooner than it had gone down. I was amazed at your story about the chef, who when the waiter told him that the customer wished their steak Well Done brought out a piece of steak and stared to almost speak of it like a Priest venerating a relic of some saint. I had a laugh at that TBH and had that happened to me I would have politely called the waiter to bring me the bill for what I had already had to drink and eat, paid that, left without making a scene but never have gone to that restaurant again. What I have found is that the big chain restaurants and those attached to large hotels have no problem with a customer asking for their steak and other dark meets to be cooked Well Done probably owing to having a cosmopolitan customer base including Brits like myself and Americans. I have always considered that the Customer is King/Queen and if what they ask for if it is possible and reasonable should be delivered. So, if dining out and not in one of those chain or hotel restaurants I will have chicken, turkey, pork or veal, all of which are cooked well done and if I am eating at home cook steak etc as I like it. That matter apart, I have lived quite happily in France for thirteen and a half year and am happy with that so it is not a game stopper.
Do you know Nancy Conway ? She’s got a great channel too on Instagram. Thank you! I love the Loire Valley!!! What do you think about the typical French Wardrobe stereotype? Many UA-cam channels now Marie-Anne Lecouer etc talk about it! I’m a total Francophile lol
When I was back in Paris in 2017, I noticed a lot more of the french walking in the street with a sandwich or other snack, and Starbucks is always packed. I think that the leisurely lunch is not a prevalent as it once was. I was a bit surprised. I also noticed more self-service at the grand magasins. I hadn't been back to Paris for 15 years prior to my 2017 trip. In previous visits one did not paw through the merchandise at the stores, your sales person helped you. Now Galeri Lafayette is like Macy's.
Hello Pamela, You're right to point this out. Globalization, efficiency, consumption are the cabin, the engine and the steamroller of this gravedigger which is the standardization of nations. Whether you go to the district of "La Défense" (Paris), in Tokyo, NY, Abu Dhabi, etc. you'll find the same offices, the same soulless buidings and so many people in a hurry who move around with their eyes in the void. This is why after having lived more than forty years in Paris, I came to settle on the Mediterranean coast. Greetings from the south of France (Perpignan) where fortuhately the "Douceur de vivre à la française" (Sweetness of life in the French mode) is still the motto.
Hey, you have put your finger on something very important here. In America school lunch is a huge huge issue. Absolutely nothing is done concerning nutritional intake, balance between vegetables (not French fries!) and meat. I've been in many schools in America and it's always the same: pizza with Doritos (as vegetables, yeah) is a typical lunch. Oh yeah, there's a carton of milk, but what's the point of this if the other parts of the meal are completely unbalanced. The worst is nobody seems to care, not even the parents. What gives??? And it's been the case for so many years America's the only industrialised country where the population's life expectancy has decreased.
Diane, first, did you see the 101 year old WWII veteran in the comments? Oh my goodness what a story. Second, I am so curious, though it’s perhaps personal, whether you and your husband sit to eat together at home without the tv on? It’s been years since my husband and I sat to eat at home at the table. When our kids were small we’d all sit at the table together, but that was pretty long ago. Now we save dinner conversation for going out to eat.
Good day, I have watched quite a few of your videos so far and have enjoyed them. But it seems that you really haven't spent much or any time in the country side of the US. We still enjoy and appreciate family time & meals. Among other traditions as well. You have mentioned NJ and NY. Not sure if you ever got outside the large cities or not though.
I recall when i was young we could walk home from school for lunch. Now, working in a US middle school children go to school for 7 straight hours with only 22 minutes for lunch and no recess. Not progress!
I was wondering how they spent 3 hours eating until midnight every day. So what's the average time spent on meals? You said an hour for lunch. Is dinner usually an hour? Do they have multiple courses for everyday dinner?
Hi Loraine, so aside from Christmas Eve and New Year's, a meal lasting until midnight would be uncommon. It's certainly not the norm. I can't say what the average is with any certainty but I'd wager the time spent at the table in a French household is probably a bit longer than the typical American family. But that depends on if it's a regular weeknight dinner, everyone's preferences, kids, etc. Unlike a lot of times in the US, the dinner is something to do on the way to the big event, like dinner before a movie with the movie being the highlight where as in France a lot of times the meal is the highlight of the evening. I know my husband gets an hour for lunch at work and school kids get that or more. I'd so most households have more than one course most of the time but it doesn't have to be fancy -- think a main course and then a yogurt for dessert (or some cheese, or even some cheese and a dessert). Of course it can be more elaborate than that. Really depends. I've just found that overall, the French spend more time at the table and a focus on the food itself and I love it! Thanks for watching!
Hi. As Diane said, we usually have 1 hour luch time. It doesn't mean we eat during 60 mn ! maybe 30/35, time to go to the "cantine" or the place you gonna eat, talk a little bit, check mails (as I'm doing right know, it's my luch time and I'm eating quitely , doing personal stuff... and answering this message ;). And of course we may have more time for dinner, espcecialy if you have a familly, somtimes kids eat sooner, the parents after, but yes, it could take 1h or more every day: a main course + cheese and/or yogourt/ fruit + dessert, a coffe with a cookie, it really depends your familly :)
we saw online french chef's working in what appears to be palaces in paris. their apartments n' everything is kinda nice. what in the heck? he was cooking chocolate n' cakes? just far out stuff. we just ordered a lot of weight watchers books.
I drive my friend Jerry crazy sometimes when I take too much time to prepare the evening meal by cooking everything fresh from scratch! Sometimes he "Chops" me for serving his meal late (💡 he got from the show Chopped from the Food Network). That being said, he is slowly getting used to my antics about food and finds humour in my French ways. One day he said : it's all PopNSnop! to me, his way of saying it was ridiculous. As a result, I named my kitchen "The PopNSnop" and he's eating a PopNSnop croissant with ham as we speak! He occasionally allows his plate "hoity toity" ie. served with garnishes! Now that he's been exposed to "Top Chef" (show),maybe he will tell me to "Pack my Knives and Go" the next time he finds unexpected heathy fresh vegetables in his food!
It is not only the diet, that French women don't get fat, but in surplus they know to take castor oil in a regular manner - look at UA-cam -, and this one they learn from a very young age.
Do that during an evening : just cook with your friends or family ... and sit down with them and the most important thing is : to enjoyed the moment. Try to eat slowly and you'll see ;) In France we really like that it's a part of our culture. Greetings from Paris and sorry for my bad English ;)
Thank you! this a huge cultural topic. I'm from the UK, have lived in France for over 35 years but still not doing as the French. I find the time taken for a lunchtime meal "eats into your day" so to speak especially if you are working and have loads to do at weekends. I hate it when my daughter and grandkids come for the weekend and we've got to cook a proper meal at lunchtime. If I'm just at home with my younger son, we just snack, grab a sandwich and get on with what we like to do. My parents in the UK usually just have some fruit, yoghurt and some nice bread at lunchtime. No laying the table and wasting time, just get your own plate. My ultimate nightmare here in France is being invited to a lunchtime barbecue at a neighbours. I know we will have to spend the whole afternoon there, and more....it will merge into 'ok it's time for apéritifs" and "There's loads left, why don't you all stay for dinner". When I could have been spending this glorious day at my local pool. Don't get me wrong, I'm very sociable and love taking to people, but for hours on end...non merci! I always need to find an excuse like "oh I need to collect someone at the airport" etc so we are free to leave. we're always the first to leave. Otherwise I don't feel I'm in control, makes me claustrophobic. And don't start me on the individual "bises" to each person to say goodbye.....
Maybe, it's because food in France is not only feeding a body with energy, but also "an experience close to a "s*x affair"" (Heard in the movie : Le festin de Babette"). And expecially when you love good...
Hi dear. Loving yr blog. U r so in depth. I m in notion of carbs r bad but bread makes me happy. Going frm jason fung fasting, intermittent, avoiding carbs.... smhw chanced upon French style I m reading books by Dr.Clover n Madame Guiliano It all seems so lovely but I m skeptical can we really lose weight by eating to heart's content n rich foods. I hv started adopting the route and u gave lot of insight Its great way cr life
Bonjour, tout le monde! What's your favorite French mealtime habit? I'd love to hear if you've found French eating habits relatable, something to strive for, unusual, a bit rigid, or maybe a mix of all of the above. ;-) Thanks so much for watching!!
N'oubliez pas de dire "Bon Appétit !" ou " Bon App' !" ;)
Bonne soirée, bon week-end :)
Since having my hips replaced I have been living with my sister. I've been preparing meals & serving her & then when I go to sit down she has already gulped down the entire meal, altho we do eat more sparingly as we are older now. I say to her, wait, I am just sitting now, how can we sit and chat & her response is typical usa, I'm done, going on to do what I want, thanks for dinner... Breaks my
era una battuta, nel senso che francesi, italiani e spagnoli, hanno la cucina migliore del mondo!
Bonjour Diane, One thing you don't mention in French culinary culture is that talking about cooking and food is one of the favorite topics of conversation among the French. I cook every day and my younger colleagues regularly ask me for advice on how to prepare a particular recipe.
Like most children, I accepted the norms of my parents. I had no clue that our customs were different than others in the country. In retrospect, I see that our french heritage placed an added emphasis on food. Some eat to live: we live to eat!
As a high schooler, I went to France one summer for six weeks. I stayed with a family in Le Havre during part of the time. The father came home from work for lunch each day, and the family enjoyed long lunches together. I learned to slow down my eating during those extended meals. To this day, usually I am the last person at the table to finish my plate.
During WWII just after the Invasion of Normandy, I was stationed between Carentan and Isigny. We had French civilian volunteers helping us pile up our Signal Corps supplies; telephone poles; cross arms; insulators and miles and miles of telephone wire. One of these volunteers invited me - a Pfc, to Sunday family dinner in Carentan. When I arrived, the whole extended family was gathered around a very large table. First came a glass of champagne. Then after several refills, we sat down and had Hors deouvres; then a salad, soup, the main course, a plateau des Fromages with another baguette, dessert, coffee with cognac. All during the dinner one excellent bottle of wine after another crossed the table.
Around 5 PM lunch ended. I went out on the main street trying to hitch a ride back to where our Company was located, but instead got picked up by the MPs, and was driven back and handed over to the Commanding Office. I lost my Pfc stripe. It was a very small price to pay for such a marvelous convivial luncheon.
You are talking about the France of 77 years ago, you must be one of the few veterans still alive. This meal strongly marked you to have such a precise memory of it.
@@christianc9894 Christian, you are right on target. At this point I'm 101 years old. My French volunteers also introduced me to Camembert, Brie, and Calvados. They also supplied me with steaks while the rest of the Company were eating cold C-Rations and K-Rations. Vive la France!
Wow! That's an amazing story! Thank you for sharing sir!
Incredible story, so happy to know it, all the best to you sir!!
@@christianc9894 Isn’t that amazing?
You forgot the most important point: we speak about food all day long! 😁
Even when we eat, we talk about other meals we ate recently or will eat soon.
I've never seen this elsewhere.
New Orleans
Italy
Italians do it too
Bonjour. I am an American that has lived overseas for over thirty years and live in Brazil. In Brazil like in France we do not eat dinner, because we DINE. The one thing that drives me crazy when I go the states is when the server grabs my apparently empty plate and says “let me get that out of your way”. I have actually almost screamed “It is NOT in my way”. Another thing is that in Brazil a server will almost never take the gentleman’s plate away if the woman is still eating. This makes it look like the guy at too fast or the woman is eating too much. Merci bonne fêtes
Excellent point about "getting the plate out of the way" - the other phrase that shocked me in the US was "are you still working on that?": No, am not working on it, I am enjoying it :)
In defense of American waitresses and waiters, American restaurants do charge lower prices than French restaurants and have a lower profit margin. Therefore American restaurants rely on a higher turnover in tables and the waitstaff do kinda rush you along. (or are being more efficient.) Ultimately you can stay at the tables in American restaurants as long as you want, though you might get some mean stares from your server.
@@caliscribe2120 That is not our problem lol
@@caliscribe2120 no they don't it is more expensive to eat out in USA than in France
I can’t stand when servers say “Are you still working on that?” I’m usually really nice to servers-their jobs are hard enough-but when I hear that, I say “Um, I don’t ‘work on’ my food.”
Bonjour Diane! I am Greek, and we the Greeks have the same eating habits, enjoying meals with family especially lunch time! Merci! 🇫🇷😍❤️
@@micade2518 All the countries that border the Mediterranean sea has the best food! Lebanese and Italian are my top favorite cuisine!
Very nice article. After a year in Paris, I learned how to cook and eat. Nobody does either better than the French. Thirty years after my time in France, when, what and how long I enjoy my meals has not changed. As you say; they really have gotten this right.
wrong, italians do it better
@@maurizioboggian6033 of course an Italian guy come on this channel to write it 😂
It's about FRENCH food no Italian. You must go on a video about Italian food you'll be happy ;)
@@maurizioboggian6033 Typical Italian ego hurt , yet loves to come and watch these videos about French life style ! lmao!!!
@@maurizioboggian6033 Wong on so many levels. French cuisine cannot be beaten as a whole.
@@ChachouLP Les italiens ont un complexe d'inferiorité face à nous ils ont toujours ce besoin de revenir parler de eux quand on parle de nous 😂😂😂
As a retired baker I love your videos. I also love France and the French. When I started a family tree I found I have a French gene somewhere in me.
Maybe that's the French "bread" gene that inspired you to become a baker in the first place 😂
Thanks Diane, enjoy your vacation! So true your observations. The first time my wife and I dined out in France, we wondered why the server did not collect our plates when done. Oh, we realized. Sit back and relax, digest. After a while we were offered dessert etc. 90 minutes for dinner! We loved it.
I am French. If a waiter rushes to take back your empty plates, we feel that he wants you to leave the place and make room for the next customer. (Pushing things that way is perceived as rough and impolite down here , even at the end of the normal order taking hours) Usually, they want you to stay long and order some more. If the restaurant isn't full, keeping customers inside is also supposed to attract others. One word prevails, relax and take your time.
Spent a week in Paris, 5 yrs ago. I still remember that week, 5 yrs later, still living “the lifestyle “ of Europe. Home cooking, crystal and silver (plate) ware. Wine, often and meals lasting as long as needed. My husband lives living this way too. Although we’ve only been married 3 months.
as a french living abroad, I would tend to say that french eating habit is about taking a break to enjoy the food. I am much more productive after a break, and a meal on the corner of my desk is not a break. do what you are doing right, this applies also to lunch breaks
I am an American who has visited France several times over my lifetime, and did notice that French food and cooking is by far much better/higher quality than American food in general. Americans suffer from obesity and diabetes much more than in France due to low quality food eaten. In France everything seems to be the freshest most natural ingredients. Every single meal I‘ve had in France was absolutely delicious, as the French really value high quality food, and
Making it delicious!❤️
What I find very interesting about this is that my grandparents who were born in the late 19th C and lived in a small town in a rural area (United States) followed similar patterns. My grandfather closed up shop and went home to the main meal at midday and then had a rest before returning for the afternoon and early evening to work. No fast food, all food cooked at home (as strict old fashioned Protestants they did not, however, drink alcohol). Fruit for dessert most days. Fresh local foods, because there weren't other kinds, mostly, and everyone had a vegetable garden and a few fruit trees (and nut trees often, too).
This is one of the things that appealed to me about France - enjoying food and mealtimes - along with working to live rather than living to work
I live what you said about mealtimes. We in America do rush through meals and that is sad. We are supposed to relax and unwind during meals and appreciate our families and friends. What a perfect time to do it.
Bon jour Diane: Another point you can make is that French Restaurant meals do not consist of huge mounds of food, as in America - many times you get enough for two good meals. Why? to justify the price of the meal...? In a French restaurant, your table is yours for the evening, the restaurant is not trying to serve three complete meals between 5 PM and 9 PM as do American restaurants. The chef that prepares your meal needs time to cook it properly. That means waiting patiently for the next course to arrive. When everything on your plate is fresh, and a pointe wasn't it worth the waiting time to eat something that was excellently prepared? The French appreciate the effort and the expertise that went into preparing the meal. At one of our Le Vesinet local restaurants, the Chef would put on clean whites, while everyone was enjoying his desserts and an espresso and then serve everyone at each table a small gout de Eau de Vie as a Thank-You. It is civilize and with a very personal touch of sa voi faire Ciao
I love eating slowly at meals, especially with friends.
I just had a meal with my friend today (we're all students), we enter the restaurant at 13h40 and we ate an average of 2 courses (the restaurant was not that expensive so we could do this for less than 15 euros). We finished around 15h30 and we left the restaurant at 16h, except if you're in a busy touristic area, the owners usually don't mind if you stay longer after eating.
A standard meal with friends is around two hours, when I'm alone, i frequently spend more than half an hour eating and a family meal at events or birthdays can be 4 hours long (with up to 6 courses).
I even sometimes made family meals where(except the house keeper who cooks), we finished the lunch and immediately started the dinner.
It seems absurd but you have to realize that a french people talking about a meal isn't talking about eating but sitting at a table. We didn't eat for ate hours but we were around the table for 9/10 hours straight with something to eat in front of us.
I grew up in the USA. But my family immigrated from a former French colony. We always had dinner for 10 on the table with assigned seats and discussions about current events. I thought it was normal until I was getting my PhD and started meeting people who often were children of divorce or latchkey kids. They thought it was remarkable. I'm not sure how much of this was a French habit, though. I do think that it is important to have family meals every day. We did fend for ourselves at breakfast, because with such a huge age range, people roused themselves for the day at different hours. Lunch was school. And I was so appalled by the eating habits of my fellow kids, I often just spent time in the library. My parents were very firm about eating etiquette. And kids in a cafeteria are disgusting.
My wife and I are American with Italian ancestry and we always take meals seriously and have done so all our lives. Our children, having been raised that way , sadly do not unless they come for dinner at our home , then they insist on it. White table cloth and napkins , good china and glassware and always in the formal dining room. That is the way we enjoy meals but it isn't for everyone nor should it be, for us it's a pleasure not a chor.
Thanks for this nice video and I agree with you. As a french living in the US, I really appreciate the meals in France. I sadly have to say that my family diner are not as nice. My kids and my husband gulp their food fast like it's a race, it's not relaxing or enjoyable. I am always the last one sitting at the table. I've been reminding them to sit down and to take their time for many years, it's hopeless! They don't even appreciate a full meal with aperitif, starter, main course, cheese plate, green lettuce and dessert or fruit or yogurt. Big culture difference. Enjoy your French meals Diane et bon appetit 🍽
I just love those laid back dinners in a small bistro off the beaten path in Paris!
Thank you Diane! I’m a fast eater and need to slow down and learn to enjoy every mouthful instead of wolfing it down! Remembering delicious leisurely lunches and dinner in France is the way I’m going to do! Love this channel!
My Uncle lives in Andorra and, when visiting him, Lunch was the biggest meal and event of the day. He was retired and we would go to a restaurant 6/7 days per week. He had a roster of 8-10 restaurants that all knew who he was when he showed up. I found that the best way to organize meals. Having the heaviest at lunch. Then more of a cheese course or "pick-nick" type supper. And of course the first thing he did every day is go to town to get the newspaper and baguette and/or other breads for breakfast and supper.
I’ve tried to continue to live that life style but I’m finding it difficult still to not think of lunch as a sandwich and supper as a hot meal ...
It's been noted (ad nauseum) that I eat too fast when I'm in France. Well, yes. I have an hour for lunch and that includes getting to/from office/resto and my work doesn't have a traditional 'lunch hour'. It's whatever/whenever/grab who you can. So 'fast' has been trained into me. Also, I find French meals more flavourful because the ingredients tend to be fresher and simpler but higher quality. Even if it's 'processed'. You can also (usually) find good local traiteur êpicure-like shops for pre-made food if you're too lazy to make your evening meals (
So glad to hear the French have chosen to preserve family time over retail time on Sunday. I really appreciated while working in Munich having access to a small kitchen to prepare my own dinner at noon time. We were not near restaurants, but for those who were employees had sufficient lunch time to enjoy a full noon dinner. Light meals were always taken in the early evening after work. Oh, yes, and the daily habit was to stop at a grocery store or supermarket to buy your ingredients fresh. This was one of my secrets to keeping weight off by eating my big meal while still active during the day.
Years ago I lived very briefly in France. that's where i learned how good every dy food could taste. The American food movement hadn't taken off yet. Sadly due to our Puritain heritage I think too many Americans have guilt feeling about enjoying food or eating We are also so inundated with diet culture in the US. At one time though we did get hour lunches. I briefly worked in a public school in California and was appalled to witness how food had deteriorated in school cafeterias. This is a good video and yes of course there re exceptions.
We didn’t have space for a table in our apartment in Rennes. In Gensac we have a lovely big table and really enjoy dinners at a table. I have always been a slow eater and am usually the last one to finish! I saw a lunch menu at a local school and the meals are amazing! They provide a wide variety of food and they also have a cheese course!
When we come to your house, I'll have to follow your lead on the speed!
I think it’s great that school children get a really good meal, including the cheese course!, each day. One habit I picked up from the French, although I live in the US, is having your green salad at the end of the meal you prepare yourself. And fresh red lettuce with shallots and homemade vinaigrette is to die for! Although I try, I still can’t make that as good as I have tasted it in France. Good video Diane!
Great topic. Growing up we had to be home for dinner and that was supported by schools and community in general. To me it’s when stores opened 7 days a week and so many school practices/events began before/after school. That contributed to family meals, including breakfast falling by the wayside. Thanks for sharing your insight and I hope you and the husband enjoy the trip. 🌻🧡
Thank you and glad you liked the topic. ;-) I hope to do more content on food when I'm able to get out and about. Maybe I'll get some footage on our trip and see what I can learn about local specialties. Keep an eye on the channel!
Diane, I enjoy and appreciate your comments. I think that sitting down for a meal, yes! sitting unhurried and conversing with people helps keep hearts and minds open to each other, to each other's feelings and opinions. It helps nurture care and respect for one another. If you're gulping your fast food down in the car, you're focus is not on listening to each other; it's on traffic, the next stop, whatever. When you will spend an hour across the table from people, you focus more on them and a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere-- good for digestion and good for relationships. Salut!
Actually, most countries take meal time more seriously. U.S.A. is the exception that's probably why we have more problems related to our digestive system and nutrition. Table manners and communication among family members also deteriorated since we don't share time on the table anymore.
I grow up sitting on the table early in the morning we never packed our breakfast or lunch, breakfast was always with everyone,lunch at school with everyone and dinner time too. We did not have a restaurant" sortie"often but occasionally and not for birthdays, the restaurant culture is more for the people who live alone or a couple,once u have children "les sortie" are rare. Family time is important and i dont remember ever havinv any activity after dinner its usually before dinner and mostly weekend or a free afternoon,we did not have activities on a daily basis. Our time was mostly at home or with friends .i hated the weekend since many times it was going to see relatives or just chiling at home, but sometimes my dad took us on a picnic or just driving ,i loved the villages a lot. After a hard day at work i do understand why my parents enjoyed staying at home😅
France definitely changed how I treat my mealtime even if I'm alone. After several years of time in France, I would never trade the French tradition of relaxing with food during a meal that is simply the best. Thank you, Dianne for this video.
My French is so bad I'm hearing you say "bonjour, tout le monde" and thinking "hello, all the world?"
Love your videos.
as a french, i don't have time every day to eat slow food. sometimes, i'm in an hurry, i eat sandwiches, or go to fast food, or eat prepared meal. but i know that should not be an habit, and try to keep it as casual as possible. And more over, if i've to eat hamburger or junk food at a lunch time, i try to balance my all day food by eat better on diner, taking in account what i've eaten in the day. If it's not possible the same days, i try the next one, but i try not to eat bad food too often. And i try to vary the dishes, not to eat the same, and not big quantities.
I know since French culinary school, I have opted for more of the french cooking techniques with my cooking. A lot of times I will make something simple to eat. And I eat many smaller meals spread out throughout the day versus the 3 meals a day routine we Americans are brought up on. Also, I've found that because I had surgery last year in removing an ovary, I have had to slow down extra big-time nowadays. Not because of the scar or the healing, but I think it's because it hormonally changed me. I had less energy and the hospitals were with the 3 meals a day routine that I wasn't on. If you tell your doctor you eat between 5-8 meals a day, they sort of freak out. But if you explain you live on smaller meals it's easier for them to accept. I think because of the pandemic everyone has had time to slow down and it's been harder on most than others. For us, it's slower than ever now. And I rather enjoy it. I actually get to enjoy my cup of tea and not feel like I have to hurry it along. Even doing my studies online seems calmer and less stressful. Thank you for sharing. Take care.
@@MichaelTheophilus906 Yes, I understand that. All hospital food is unappetizing in general around here.
French people seemed to much more relaxed and less stressed than in the US. What do you think?
On est très stressé 😬 même les français disent en général que les américains mènent une vie cool, sans routine et sans stresse contrairement à nous, les français. Et si tu disais ça parce qu’on prend du temps pour manger c’est que la nourriture est SACRÉE ici !! 😂😂
PS : chez ma mamie on mange de 12h à 17h 😂😭 mais ça c est parce qu’on parle beaucoup
@@Melanie-sd8bq We rush to do everything and don't slow down to enjoy anything. I can't tell you the last time that I took a lunch away from my desk. It's been over 5 years probably. We eat and work. We work nights, weekends and holidays. I wish we could adopt some European behaviors. Food is sacred in France! I wish I could move there.
It really depends on WHERE you live in France
Eating slowly is healthy for the body.
Rush eating will just make you sick and get acid reflux. 😁 I have that habit before when I used to work in the office.
In France we speak food, when we eat food too.
I am French, and I should say thank you for all the nice comments but think about it, cooking from scratch is what most the people do around the world, no?
I’m loving your content Diane. I eat way too fast, usually the first to finish in groups and it’s something I’d like to change. Bonne journée.
Great video. J'aime ca. I'm a home chef & I like French culture a lot. Especially Paris.
Greetings from Paris :)
The other cities in France are also cool like Lyon , Strasbourg , Rennes, Bordeaux and the small cities Rouen , Caen ... :)
Oh yes, I rarely eat out in Florida but we certainly do feel rushed out unless you like to eat in off times or eat in those buffets with crap on a plate.
It's true that not all French people are master chefs. But that's true of any country. But what is true is that in France you find excellent produce and of course brilliant cheese and baked goods. However, I find it more gratifying to have a home cooked meal prepared by Italians, Spaniards, Mexicans or North Africans because they tend to cook from scratch. At many French dinner parties, I find that they assemble dishes, rather than cooking them. Foie gras comes out of a jar, le canard confit comes out of a jar and is then finished off in the oven, followed by cheese and a lovely cake from the patisserie next door. The food is typically quite good including the wine. But there's not much cooking involved. Compare that to a meal with a Mexican family. Homemade tortillas, freshly made guacamole and salsas, the taco meat mix slowly simmering. And to be fair, many Americans do incredible BBQ. Love your channel.
Great vídeo! It's funny that you also speak very fast! Enjoy meals as many mediterranean
Hi Diane. Im binge watching your content especially episodes I’ve missed. I’m a slow eater and enjoy savoring the food and drink. But it’s frustrating when I have a meal with a friend who woofs down his meal. Im on soup and he’s on plat principal. So I appreciate your honesty and congratulate you on adapting to the French way. And je déteste in the US being asked if I’m still “working on that”. You are the best.
Cruising is a great way to enjoy your food, with the huge variety and quality available. If you like long evening meals, Costa Cruises - an Italian line - is for you. Their multi-course meals can take two or three hours.
Really a lesson to be learned.
I’m new to your channel and really enjoying it, you’re adorable, and as a Francophile it’s fun to get doses of Frenchness through an American lens! Have a great vacation!!!! (P.S. I’m sure I could compete with you in a speed eating contest - awful habit and I am continually trying to break it!! My BFF, who’s the same way with eating too fast, says it’s a product of us growing up low-to-middle class with siblings - you gotta eat quick if you want seconds!) (which is a whole other bad habit, lol) xoxo
Welcome, thanks for being here and so happy you're enjoying my content!
School lunch break is 2 hours ( from 12am to 2 pm ), but if you have extra classes you can have just 1 hour ( which is a bit short ) because you start at 1 pm.
Super! You bring up several intersting concepts.
Very good video. Eating too fast causes problems wherever it is used. I think that 'when' we eat is also important.
When you eat slowly, your stomach has time to register when it's full. I call it the trigger. When you eat too quickly, you bypass the trigger and by the time the trigger catches up, you've uncomfortably eaten more than you should have.
Don't eat like you're struggling to get it over with. (Although I do understand that about some fast food restaurants: just get it down the throat as soon as possible and try not to think about it.)
Nutrition doctors say that the best meal habits should be to have breakfast like a king, lunch like a farmer and dinner like a servant (ie= very lite).
But modern life makes that very hard to follow, mostly for urban ppl and workers... The most important french habit to keep seems to eat together in the evening, not too late, not too much.
Before my retirement, I had the opportunity to teach in the US, living in a family (polish and czech origin) with 4 children (from 8 to 18). All the members ate separately for lunch (homemade lunchbox, with organic meat sandwiches, greens and fruits !) but the complete family sat around the table at 19:00, without TV, radio, or cellphones ! That french inspired habit was an absolute treat (so rare in the US!), and the kids were NOT allowed to pick food from the fridge, after school...
May we do the same thing, as long as possible...
In a french dinner, as french people you've all become for now, you have to talk about the meal and congratulate the cooker if this one is present. It is not an option, but moreover you have to make this compliment sincerely. If the food is not so good, as industrial food quickly prepared, just don't say nothing about it, but if you forget to congratulate your host, it would be interpreted as you had not appreciate the meal. " C'est très bon", "C'est délicieux", "c'est vraiment délicieux", "C'est absolument exquis", "C'est divin"... We have more and more sentences to express this in the appropriate mode. On the other hand, never say "Bon appétit" It's a bit harsh because we are not supposed to be around the table because we are that hungry for dinner, but because we love exchange with others and spend time with them. However If someone say "Bon appétit", just answer "merci", taste the meal and congratulate the cooker.
love your channel ... and Paris, and Meschers-sur-Girond, and Nice, and Pont du Gard, Annecy and Perpignan and Auch, and the marché a Clingancourt, and les radis, les vins, les fromages, les endives, les saucissons, les baguettes, etc, etc and the streets and the winding roads in the Gers, the waiters, the expats, the cafes... et l'argot, et... les gens!
Bonjour. I have family in France. The Sunday Dinner at 8 with the family is the best! 5 courses. I thought I was going to explode the first time I dined with them. I am American so I was served American servings. Since then I tell them "No I am in France I am French! Small portions!" We still laugh about it.
So happy to find this channel I’ve spent some time in the south of France, and something I’ve not been able to find online anywhere and it’s the oil they put on their pizza, usually a bottle on each table with a mix of oil and herbs, can you suggest where I may find either that or the recipe. The limoncello traditionally served in many restaurants following the meal.
You speaks about Italian things on a French video ? ;)
You're talking about the origan oil ?
I loved this video, thank you!
Appreciate your time!
Je suis d’adorde avec vous. I am an American who has lived outside of the USA since 1974 and presently live in Brazil. In Brazil we do not eat a meal, we DINE. I hate it when I am in an American restaurant and the server says “Let me get that out your way (débarasser). I say IT IS NOT IN MY WAY. In Brazil a server should never take the man’s empty plate away if the women is still eating. This makes it look like either the man wolfed down his food too quickly or that the woman is eating too much. I would only let the table to be cleared if there was a queue of people waiting for a table although you are not required to do so, but it is a nice gesture. Merci A+
It seems to me that what makes the difference is that the salary of waiters in the US is mainly tips. So the more customers they get, the more money they make.
In France this is not the case. The salary is fixed and the tip is optional. So the waiters are not expeditious. You can take your time, no one will put pressure on you to clear the table.
Je suis d'accord avec vous !
No rush in French restaurants...
People are happy of their lunch/dinner and nice time !
Agree with Smoker Joe :
..."The difference is that the salary of waiters in the US is mainly tips".
Oh man....have to admit I was eating dinner while watching this. 😄😬But I also live alone and it's not much fun to me to eat alone in silence with nothing to engage me.
But, I do really enjoy doing a bigger meal in the middle of the day, as in, a real dish and not just a sandwich, and a lighter dinner. It definitely makes me feel more energized throughout the day and less heavy at night.
I live alone too and make it point to eat my meals while watching a cooking, travel or other non stressful tv show. It keeps me company and helps to lengthen the time spent consuming the meal.
@@msr1116 I like that! 😊
labor law abides for a minimum 45 min lunch break that should not be eaten at workpost (desk or whatever). It's a labor and public health rule, as bad and too fast meals are critical to health and unstopped work is bad for overall health also.
One key difference is container : styrofoam and cardboard actually changes the taste of food, and not for the better. Also, the way food looks when served in a plate instead of dumped in a styrofoam container also changes your perception of its taste.
Even if I buy Domino’s pizza, I’ll never eat it out of the container even if it is more « convenient ».
Containers do matter.
when a woman (or sometimes a man) goes to the effort to make a good meal that is made out of love for the people who are eating it, it is a matter of respect that you pay attention to their work and are graateful for their efforts on your behalf , and focus on the meal and the people there eating it. - yes? This is a bonding in love that is essential for a wholesome family life. - the food also needs to be appreciated, as it is returning to source thru the people eating it. For this reason, a meal is a celebration and a special time, that will naturally be respected and appreciated by people who are aware of the reality of the ways of life.
- this is why people will be quiet for a moment or pray before they eat. (I also think that if a woman prepares a meal, then the man should do the dishes to balance out the work load). :)
With the long, relaxed eating pace, is there a problem with food getting cold?
I’m originally from India and live in the United States for the past 22 years. Hard to believe. It’s great to actually enjoy the food that we eat.
I think they’re even used to be a pretty big food culture in the United States. You can see this when you read classic books or pioneer books.
Everyone has different table banners in different ways to eat for instance my family and I eat with my fingers when we’re at home of course will use spoons and forks for things that require it like noodles or soup. And other cultures eat with chopsticks. Others use flatware.
The point is that we all need to get back to enjoying our food. That’s where good health comes from. If we can’t appreciate where our food comes from and the subtle flavors of every ingredient and if we can’t talk about her food, then what are we doing
?
I love eating. And I love to cook. I like to make savory or sweet pies by making the dough myself of course (puff pastry or short crust). I make all kinds of rice dishes. And as a Breton, crêpes and galettes were already in my competence before I was 10 years old. Thanks Mom.
On the other hand, never wine at the table for me. I hate it.
Even non bretons children can make crêpes ans galettes it's very easy ;)
Just to be clear with the cantine, the good food really REALLY depends on the place. In primary school, the food was nice. But when you arrive to Collège, you start to notice the food is less nice ? There are certain things you know tou shouldn't take AT ALL
And in my high school, i even skipped meals and just eat some weird bread. The only thing they could cooked correctly was fries, whenever there was some pasta, you had a pool of oil with it and one day I even heard the guy serving the food say "yeah I wouldn't eat that.."
But the desserts were awesome lmao oh and the meal time was from 11:30 (for those with no class from 11 to 12) to 13:30, but if you arrived more at 13:30, there might not be much food anymore. Once we had to wait for the cook to make us something real quick so that we could actually eat. When we reported it, we were told "the students choose to not eat the given food"
Now I'm in university with the 1€ meals and it's so nice to not have more oil than food anymore
Oh and since there is a lot of people who have to eat BEFORE the classes start again, especially in collège and highschool, there would always be someone rushing us because others had to eat. The worst I had was this girl during covid saying her service ended at 13:30 and that we needed to hurry and go when we had just say down and that it was already 13:40, we took 20min to eat we arrived in class at 14:10 (had to go get a late little paper) so we were 30min late lmao
I am a nurse in the states. French eating habits sound interesting. I will be dreaming about them next time I am working and do not have time so I am eating my sandwich at the desk, bite by bite in between patients.
What I enjoyed most living in Germany was rating my main meal at midday and a “quick bite” in the evening. Near the university there was the reasonably priced Mensa fir students only. Later the company I worked for had a small kitchen where I could cook my lunch every day. I found the American fast food places an embarrassment and only ate there once for time.
After dinner, have a conversation with your family, perhaps a continuation of a dinner topic.
Read a story to your kids (you sit in your favourite Queen Anne wingback while the children sit in a semicircle on the floor, staring up at you in wide-eyed wonder, hanging on your every word).
Sit outside and enjoy the sounds of nature while you savor a good cigar. See the delicate plumes of smoke dance and spread in the subtle breeze. Have a sip of brandy.
Watch a movie cuddled with your spouse. She'll squeeze you in the scary parts. And you'll be there for her.
Life is about experiences. Don't rush it.
One French dining issue I simply cannot abide is the refusal of some chefs here to cook steak and dark meets Well Done (Bien Cuit). I simply cannot and will not eat underdone meat, or indeed other foods not thoroughly cooked, so no al denté either for me. I have tried to eat a rare steak, and rare roast beef, in the past and was physically sick soon afterwards and it came back sooner than it had gone down. I was amazed at your story about the chef, who when the waiter told him that the customer wished their steak Well Done brought out a piece of steak and stared to almost speak of it like a Priest venerating a relic of some saint. I had a laugh at that TBH and had that happened to me I would have politely called the waiter to bring me the bill for what I had already had to drink and eat, paid that, left without making a scene but never have gone to that restaurant again. What I have found is that the big chain restaurants and those attached to large hotels have no problem with a customer asking for their steak and other dark meets to be cooked Well Done probably owing to having a cosmopolitan customer base including Brits like myself and Americans. I have always considered that the Customer is King/Queen and if what they ask for if it is possible and reasonable should be delivered. So, if dining out and not in one of those chain or hotel restaurants I will have chicken, turkey,
pork or veal, all of which are cooked well done and if I am eating at home cook steak etc as I like it.
That matter apart, I have lived quite happily in France for thirteen and a half year and am happy with that so it is not a game stopper.
Do you know Nancy Conway ? She’s got a great channel too on Instagram. Thank you! I love the Loire Valley!!! What do you think about the typical French Wardrobe stereotype? Many UA-cam channels now Marie-Anne Lecouer etc talk about it! I’m a total Francophile lol
As a French I curious , why are you francophile ? What do you like about France ?
Greetings from Paris :)
When I was back in Paris in 2017, I noticed a lot more of the french walking in the street with a sandwich or other snack, and Starbucks is always packed. I think that the leisurely lunch is not a prevalent as it once was. I was a bit surprised.
I also noticed more self-service at the grand magasins. I hadn't been back to Paris for 15 years prior to my 2017 trip. In previous visits one did not paw through the merchandise at the stores, your sales person helped you. Now Galeri Lafayette is like Macy's.
Hello Pamela,
You're right to point this out. Globalization, efficiency, consumption are the cabin, the engine and the steamroller of this gravedigger which is the standardization of nations.
Whether you go to the district of "La Défense" (Paris), in Tokyo, NY, Abu Dhabi, etc. you'll find the same offices, the same soulless buidings and so many people in a hurry who move around with their eyes in the void.
This is why after having lived more than forty years in Paris, I came to settle on the Mediterranean coast.
Greetings from the south of France (Perpignan) where fortuhately the "Douceur de vivre à la française" (Sweetness of life in the French mode) is still the motto.
Paris is not France
Hey, you have put your finger on something very important here. In America school lunch is a huge huge issue. Absolutely nothing is done concerning nutritional intake, balance between vegetables (not French fries!) and meat. I've been in many schools in America and it's always the same: pizza with Doritos (as vegetables, yeah) is a typical lunch. Oh yeah, there's a carton of milk, but what's the point of this if the other parts of the meal are completely unbalanced. The worst is nobody seems to care, not even the parents. What gives??? And it's been the case for so many years America's the only industrialised country where the population's life expectancy has decreased.
Diane, first, did you see the 101 year old WWII veteran in the comments? Oh my goodness what a story. Second, I am so curious, though it’s perhaps personal, whether you and your husband sit to eat together at home without the tv on? It’s been years since my husband and I sat to eat at home at the table. When our kids were small we’d all sit at the table together, but that was pretty long ago. Now we save dinner conversation for going out to eat.
Omg, love this video.
Good day, I have watched quite a few of your videos so far and have enjoyed them. But it seems that you really haven't spent much or any time in the country side of the US. We still enjoy and appreciate family time & meals. Among other traditions as well. You have mentioned NJ and NY. Not sure if you ever got outside the large cities or not though.
I lived in NYC during college and after but have family in smaller towns and visited often ;-) Thanks for watching!
After retiring in 2016, it took me another 8 years to actually 'retire'. I had to constantly be 'productive'.
I recall when i was young we could walk home from school for lunch. Now, working in a US middle school children go to school for 7 straight hours with only 22 minutes for lunch and no recess. Not progress!
I’ve always preferred eat slowly and having a conversation as I eat. Still don’t know if it’s the French or Italian in me. 🤷♀️
Maybe both ;)
@6:21 lol buckwheat porridge detekted... so russian-style!
I was wondering how they spent 3 hours eating until midnight every day. So what's the average time spent on meals? You said an hour for lunch. Is dinner usually an hour? Do they have multiple courses for everyday dinner?
Hi Loraine, so aside from Christmas Eve and New Year's, a meal lasting until midnight would be uncommon. It's certainly not the norm. I can't say what the average is with any certainty but I'd wager the time spent at the table in a French household is probably a bit longer than the typical American family. But that depends on if it's a regular weeknight dinner, everyone's preferences, kids, etc. Unlike a lot of times in the US, the dinner is something to do on the way to the big event, like dinner before a movie with the movie being the highlight where as in France a lot of times the meal is the highlight of the evening.
I know my husband gets an hour for lunch at work and school kids get that or more.
I'd so most households have more than one course most of the time but it doesn't have to be fancy -- think a main course and then a yogurt for dessert (or some cheese, or even some cheese and a dessert). Of course it can be more elaborate than that. Really depends. I've just found that overall, the French spend more time at the table and a focus on the food itself and I love it! Thanks for watching!
Hi. As Diane said, we usually have 1 hour luch time. It doesn't mean we eat during 60 mn ! maybe 30/35, time to go to the "cantine" or the place you gonna eat, talk a little bit, check mails (as I'm doing right know, it's my luch time and I'm eating quitely , doing personal stuff... and answering this message ;). And of course we may have more time for dinner, espcecialy if you have a familly, somtimes kids eat sooner, the parents after, but yes, it could take 1h or more every day: a main course + cheese and/or yogourt/ fruit + dessert, a coffe with a cookie, it really depends your familly :)
Servers removing dishes before everyone has finished is RUDE.
we saw online french chef's working in what appears to be palaces in paris. their apartments n' everything is kinda nice. what in the heck? he was cooking chocolate n' cakes? just far out stuff.
we just ordered a lot of weight watchers books.
Midtown direct train to Manhattan...you must be from NJ! 😝
Indeed!
I drive my friend Jerry crazy sometimes when I take too much time to prepare the evening meal by cooking everything fresh from scratch! Sometimes he "Chops" me for serving his meal late (💡 he got from the show Chopped from the Food Network). That being said, he is slowly getting used to my antics about food and finds humour in my French ways. One day he said : it's all PopNSnop! to me, his way of saying it was ridiculous. As a result, I named my kitchen "The PopNSnop" and he's eating a PopNSnop croissant with ham as we speak! He occasionally allows his plate "hoity toity" ie. served with garnishes! Now that he's been exposed to "Top Chef" (show),maybe he will tell me to "Pack my Knives and Go" the next time he finds unexpected heathy fresh vegetables in his food!
Student mealtime in my elementary school is maximum 15 minutes.
Can you give me a place in France where it doesn’t rain as much. Where is a good place for a beginner around your area. Please. 😊 Thank you !
Hi, I can't speak to exact rainfall amounts but Angers is wonderful!
Shirley come in the South of France or the Center in Auvergne- Rhone Alpes ;)
@ Shirley. South Of France and especially " Languedoc- Roussillon, French Riviera and Provence ( The most sunnier City in France is Marseille).
luckily everyone can slow down the pace of life, including eating habits:)))
It is not only the diet, that French women don't get fat, but in surplus
they know to take castor oil in a regular manner - look at UA-cam -,
and this one they learn from a very young age.
😉😉😻😻💙⚪❤Bonjour de France I LIKE your videos - this is an excellent quality MERCI
I am a fast eater also. It would be soooo difficult to sit that long!
Do that during an evening : just cook with your friends or family ... and sit down with them and the most important thing is : to enjoyed the moment. Try to eat slowly and you'll see ;)
In France we really like that it's a part of our culture.
Greetings from Paris and sorry for my bad English ;)
Thank you! this a huge cultural topic. I'm from the UK, have lived in France for over 35 years but still not doing as the French. I find the time taken for a lunchtime meal "eats into your day" so to speak especially if you are working and have loads to do at weekends. I hate it when my daughter and grandkids come for the weekend and we've got to cook a proper meal at lunchtime. If I'm just at home with my younger son, we just snack, grab a sandwich and get on with what we like to do. My parents in the UK usually just have some fruit, yoghurt and some nice bread at lunchtime. No laying the table and wasting time, just get your own plate. My ultimate nightmare here in France is being invited to a lunchtime barbecue at a neighbours. I know we will have to spend the whole afternoon there, and more....it will merge into 'ok it's time for apéritifs" and "There's loads left, why don't you all stay for dinner". When I could have been spending this glorious day at my local pool. Don't get me wrong, I'm very sociable and love taking to people, but for hours on end...non merci! I always need to find an excuse like "oh I need to collect someone at the airport" etc so we are free to leave. we're always the first to leave. Otherwise I don't feel I'm in control, makes me claustrophobic. And don't start me on the individual "bises" to each person to say goodbye.....
Had you moved to a big city in France, you would have seen that they, too, eat fast. The only meal we take our time is dinner.
Maybe, it's because food in France is not only feeding a body with energy, but also "an experience close to a "s*x affair"" (Heard in the movie : Le festin de Babette"). And expecially when you love good...
Hi dear. Loving yr blog. U r so in depth.
I m in notion of carbs r bad but bread makes me happy.
Going frm jason fung fasting, intermittent, avoiding carbs.... smhw chanced upon French style
I m reading books by Dr.Clover n Madame Guiliano
It all seems so lovely but I m skeptical can we really lose weight by eating to heart's content n rich foods.
I hv started adopting the route and u gave lot of insight
Its great way cr life
Why couldn't fasting and eating bread work together?
The US servers' habit of clearing the plates as soon as the person is done drives me batty.
I think the fast pace is worse in the eastern US.
Sounds like Germany and mealtimes are much the same as France.